Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Great Film overall

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Twists and turns, great characters, a tremendous ending. one of those lucky breaks where truth is so much more than fiction.

The story of Muhammed Ali and the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" is the stuff of legend; the world's best boxer becomes a hate figure for middle America and is banned for political reasons; he returns but has lost his edge; he gets a last shot at the world title in a fight to be held in Zaire, whose kleptomaniac dictator is willing to put up his people's cash to pay for it; and against all the odds, he astonishingly beats the superior puncher George Foreman through a combination of wit and bravery. Ali was beautiful and clever as well as violent; his "art" destroyed him, but it's easy to tell his story as a kind of noble myth. Which is exactly what 'When We Were Kings', a documentary that relies relatively little on talking heads (because the whole drama was a kind of performance, and filmed) does. The film even gets its soundtrack for free thanks to the musicians brought in to publicise the fight. I don't even like boxing, but it's still a compelling story; but also watch 'Thrilla in Manilla', a film about Ali's next fight, for a story that takes something of the gloss of his personal sheen.

This film should be made mandatory watching for all school children. Historically it covers the greatest sporting event of all time and at the same time chronicles the amazing man himself. The Champ is not just articulate and charismatic... he touched the hearts of all the oppressed people of the time. He was a poor mans champion... a ghetto superstar.I wasn't alive at the time, but the film portrays brilliantly what an underdog Ali was and how everyone half expected Foreman to kill him. Then it shows how Ali very cleverly outwitted his opponent. Psychologically Ali was a heavyweight and Foreman a lightweight. With heart and determination he overcame the colossus that was Foreman.Watching Foreman in this documentary and his awesome power... I don't believe any boxer since has had the punching power of this man. For god sake he came back at 45 and won the title! Imagine what he was like at 20. The Rumble in the Jungle destroyed Foreman... and propelled Ali onto a bigger stage. It was held in Zaire, rebels were fighting, the dictator Mobutu, Don King in his prime, James Brown, the succubus, the witch doctors, Boom-aye, Ali, Foreman... The world must have shaken that night. This documentary makes the hairs on the back of neck stand up... imagine what it must have been like to be alive at that time.

Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest sports figure of all time. He is remembered for his athletic achievement, political stances, and larger than life personality. Yet we never knew him. Michael Mann made a decent movie called Ali a few years ago. He tried his best to draw a portrait of an elusive human being. But what he was trying to achieve had already been done before with When We Were Kings.When We Were Kings is a phenomenal documentary. In my opinion, the prototype for all documentaries. Taking place in and around perhaps the best boxing match of all time, the Rumble In The Jungle, in which Ali faced George Foreman(of grill fame...). Ali is shown as a man brimming with confidence, yet his constant boasting becomes a coat of armor that protects him from his own self-doubt. Yet he endears himself to the African people who embrace him like he's one of their own. In these moments Ali appears both invincible and mortal.There are some cool musical numbers by James Brown and B.B King as well as appearances by Spike Lee, Don King, and the controversial president of Zahire at the time, Mobutu Sese Seko. These appearances add depth to the amazing events of the film.If you love documentaries, sports, or character stories, When We Were Kings is among the class of each.